Getting Started with the IntelliStar 1 SD
Hello, future starter! Welcome to the Weather Channel IntelliStar 1 SD! This page serves as a guide to getting your IntelliStar 1 SD up and running. You'll find other small helpful tips here as well. First lets get familiar with the IntelliStar. The IntelliStar has many enhanced features over its predecessor, the Weather Star XL. Like all other WeatherStar systems, the IntelliStar receives its data over a satellite connection and over the Internet. However, unlike the rest of the systems, it has the capability to receive more complex information in a more efficient manner. It also has a DualFeed feature, which allows a selection of two different video feeds. In the event of inclement weather, the DualFeed option would switch from the first (network) feed, to a second (localized) feed, providing weather information to a specific STAR or network of STARs. By doing this, the specified network of STARs could be addressed with weather updates, versus the entire national network of STARs (where such information would be irrelevant). It also has an improved graphics display and dynamic radar capabilities. HiRAD (High Resolution Aggregated Data) technology – which was added to the IntelliStar in 2006 – allows The Weather Channel to choose any city, town or landmark as an observation or forecast site and provide data. Occasionally, the HiRAD function will fail, in which case the National Weather Service sites are used (only the current conditions – and previously, the eight-city product and regional/metro products – are affected significantly). Now that you are acquainted, let us get you up and running! Getting Up and Running To start, first you will need to inspect the IntelliStar from top to bottom and from front to back. We recommend that you first check the front door and see if it needs to be oiled. This will be a common theme around the IntelliStar. The IntelliStar, much like all other machines, must be well lubricated in order to function properly. Check the IntelliStar for dust or roaches. As the IntelliStar is an advanced piece of hardware, some roaches may be attracted to the high discombobulate resonating sine interpreting frequency the IntelliStar puts emits from its turbo oscillating rectifier. Remove all debris you may see as this may impact the performance of the weather detection and mesoscale interpretive transmission assembly. You may encounter one very common issue with the IntelliStar. Inside the IntelliStar lives two special cards. The Thunderstorm digital board (which is detailed later in this guide) and its sister card. In some instances, the sister card may have rusty BNC connectors. For new and inexperienced Star owners, this may be a bit off-putting, but do not fret, for their is a solution! First remove the sister card from the IntelliStar. This will require you to swiftly yank the card out of its slot with lots of force. Then prepare a container which you will fill with pure Coke. Make sure you are using the right kind of Coke, as we are not responsible for your loss of cocaine. Once the container has been filled, simply lower the sister card into the container. Let the card soak for 12 to 24 hours. This will remove all the rust off of the BNC connectors and also any corrosion on the PCB if any was present. This may seem absurd, but this method has been rigorously tested and does, in fact, work. Once you are done, simply dry the card using a heat gun for 2 minutes and finally push the card back into its slot by pressing down as hard as you can on the card. Another common issue is stuck fans. This is easily fixable. You can fix this by blowing the IntelliStar. Blowing the IntelliStar will fix any stuck fans as it loosens any crusty old white material lodged within the fan motors. Don't be shy, the IntelliStar needs a firm blow to get it up and running. You must ensure that you are blowing hard enough or the IntelliStar will not power on. Everyone loves a good blow, and the IntelliStar needs one to work again. Once you have completed the visual assessment and have also ensured that no rust is on the sister card, you may now plug the IntelliStar into power and continue on to the next section! Getting Video into the IntelliStar 1 SD Getting video into the IntelliStar is very simple and straightforward but does require a bit of modification. Since it is not possible to receive video through BNC as it was discontinued in 1997 ("Courage" is cited as the reason for the discontinuation of BNC), we will need to make our own connector to send video through the IntelliStar. Regardless of whether or not you have made the connector, you can test video input by inserting a copy of the DVD Winnie the Pooh: Shapes and Sizes into the CD drive located at the front of the IntelliStar. The reason this specific DVD is used is because it was the test video used during The Weather Channel's early testing stages of the IntelliStar. Getting Data Connection to the IntelliStar 1 SD To get data into your IntelliStar you will first have to enter the following command into a terminal to ensure your IntelliStar is primed for data. dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/ad0s1 bs=512 count=696969 Once this command is complete you will need to reboot your IntelliStar. If on boot you do not receive a black screen stating "No proper boot disk found", you will need to remove the IntelliStar drive from the front and repeatedly remove and insert the hard drive until you hear a click sound. This will reset the position of the servo motor that controls the interface device. Once the message above is on screen, the IntelliStar is ready to receive data. Sending data is not an easy task and requires some knowledge and experience in soldering. First and foremost, you need a Nintendo Wii game console, an ethernet cable, wire strippers, a soldering iron, and most importantly a The Weather Channel WS-2308TWC with PC Interface by Lacrosse Weather. The last item is the most important as the base station interfaces with a computer to receive data from The Weather Channel without using their internal Star feeds. The Wii will be used to intercept the signals from the WS-2308TWC station. We will outline what modifications you will have to make here, step by step. * First, take the Nintendo Wii and remove the plastic enclosure. Once you have done so, locate the following pins on the Nintendo Wii board. ** PIN DA3 ** PIN DA4 ** PIN GND ** PIN + * Take one end of the ethernet cable and cut off the connector. Expose the sets of wires that are tucked inside the cable. You will need to solder the cables onto the board in the following pairing. ** Green/Green & White - PIN DA3 ** Brown/Brown & White - PIN DA4 ** Orange/Orange & White - PIN GND ** Blue/Blue & White - PIN + * Once you have soldered on the wires, you can drill a hole on the back of the Nintendo Wii to route the cable out of the case. This will make it easy to route the cable out to the IntelliStar. * Next, you will need to set up your WS-2308TWC Weather Station to receive weather information. Set up the station as instructed in the guide and install the PC software. Once you have done so, you will need to find one piece of software. Find WeatherBug Desktop Software on Softonic. Download and install the software using the Softonic installer. Doing so without using the installer will result in subpar delivery of weather information. Once complete, we will now link the Nintendo Wii and the WS-2308TWC Station together. * Take the Wii Controller, press power and place it next to the WS-2308TWC Base Station for 10 seconds while holding down 1 and 2 on the Wii Controller. Once the Wii controller begins to flash, immediately begin to rub the controller on the rear panel of the WS-2308TWC base station. If the Wii powers on and the controller pairs, you are ready to go. * Finally, connect the modified ethernet cable to the back of the IntelliStar and check the Thunderstorm for a red light. If the red light has come on, you are receiving data and may proceed to the next guide. Loading Current Data onto the IntelliStar 1 SD The Weather Channel used to use special servers that ran Microsoft Word 93 to save a .doc file that was uploaded via the satellite feed to the IntelliStar. Unfortunately, as we do not have access to their servers, we will need to create a .doc file locally to send to the IntelliStar to cue an LF. Note: This doc file should have the following name format: wxdata_f_@_(month #)_(day #, format such as 09)_r_(year #)_d.doc; for example, wxdata_f_@_01_01_r_2020_d.doc for weather data falling on January 1, 2020. First, make the file with the name format given above. Then, type the following into the body of your document: dataformat_t0: (begin_wxDatacollection if=IS/data/expiration.dat true) Below that line, type this to give yourself test data: curdata_name = (cond_sunny, temp_69, pres_42.00_up, ceiling_9000, wind_80.08135, gust_120.00, humid_96, dewp_69) You will continue this on the lines below for other cities and products (such as curdata_8city, curdata_map, frcastdata_map/wkahead/etc). You will end your file like this: dataformat_t: end Save your file and put it on a flash drive. Put the drive into the back of your Nintendo Wii and follow instructions elsewhere on how to transfer a file over Ethernet. Once the file is received, if the red light aforementioned stays on, the file has transferred, and you now have data input. Loading a Local Forecast on the IntelliStar 1 SD The process for loading a local forecast has not changed much since the time that the IntelliStar was active in the field, although today we use the Nintendo Wii to send the commands. You will need to use the Nintendo Wii to send a command to the IntelliStar: load hocuspocus.exe time="240" data="wxdata_f_@_01_01_r_2020_d.doc (whatever your file name is)" The name hocuspocus.exe is the internal name of the program that launches local forecasts on the Star. At that point, you should see the forecast come up on your video output over coax. Loading the LDL on the IntelliStar 1 SD To load the LDL after a forecast, you simply need to run the following command: load wxLDL_service_abracadabra.exe The name wxLDL_service_abracadabra.exe is the internal name of the program that launches the LDL. At this time, we do not have a way to turn off the LDL, so we give our deepest apologies. The only fix at this time is to take out the silver box located at the front of the IntelliStar that is responsible for graphics rendering; this will cut off the graphics currently on screen. Inserting the IntelliStar 1 SD into a rack In order to properly enjoy your IntelliStar 1 SD, you will need a big rack. The IntelliStar 1 SD is four rack units tall, so a small rack will not suffice here. As a matter of fact, the IntelliStar 1 SD enjoys big racks, as that is its preference given in the original manual. That manual is now lost, but that detail is one of the few things we do know from it. In order to insert the IntelliStar 1 SD into a big rack, you will preferably need two people. You could do it on your own, but the IntelliStar is somewhat obese. It is not as obese as the WeatherStar XL, but it may be better on your poor, rotting spinal bones to have someone help you.Category:Getting Started